My Philosophy: Why Family Life Institute?During the 70's & 80's a rift had taken place between psychologists who wanted theory and techniques to be empirically verifiable and therapists who considered their work "art" since no empirical support existed for any theory to demonstrate it was any more effective than time.

Mental health counselors were tending to move in the direction of practices that resembled the pastoral work of the priesthood and away from more serious psychopathology. The nature of the counselor looks much like the work of spiritual direction without the clear theological authority and criteria since all of the theories were atheistic in their denial of an immaterial soul or the place of God in one's life.

At the same time, priests were tending to encourage people to seek out counseling for matters that seem to fall more in line with their own ministry.

Another trend that was apparent was the movement away from Thomistic philosophy and principles and Aristotelian logic in seminaries and liberal arts education.

Meanwhile, in my own work with schizophrenia and mental illness, I had found a great wealth of understanding and assistance in not only the rational psychology of St. Thomas Aquinas but also other Fathers and Doctors of the Church such as Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. Since understanding is the preeminent rudiment of counseling. I began to work more from an ontological point of view. I.e., I was concerned with the nature of the thing that I had to deal with.

Each theory has some valid points and contributions. However, each theory also contained various flaws and errors. Modern psychology also held that man was simply an organic substance and did not possess immaterial faculties. This principle was in direct contradiction to metaphysics and the ontological principle of the nature of the human faculties of the intellect and the will.

The problem was that the principles that psychology uses are in superior sciences which the education of the psychology student completely ignores. Thus, leaving psychology to make up its own principles. As a science there is no proportion with its subject matter. That is, it sees man as a material animal only and does not recognize his immaterial faculties. Therefore it is an invalid science. By studying the proper Christian anthropology one gains a proper understanding of man and his faculties and thus, only in that way can a valid science of psychology be established.